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latestarter

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  1. Thanks for all the great background detail info. I'll have to live with most of the layout as it is now - but I do regret not doing enough research on the condition of the tracks for the steam era. I'm not sure how to correct that without ripping it all up to be honest.
  2. Thanks for the suggestion. I do have some 'dumped' carriage wheels on there already, and a disused carriage on blocks (as a workman's hut, with toilet) on the other side of the shed. I'm now thinking of something more scenic, as I have a large depot at the other end.
  3. Thanks for all the responses guys, they are much appreciated. My specific replies are below... @cypherman The building nearest the 'plot' I'm referring to is an engine shed, which has a fairly large area to itself already - and there's a bigger one at the opposite end. Photo below. @The Johnster Good to hear from you again. Thanks the detailed reply. I totally agree with you about a gap in the hedge and a gate. I'll get onto it. See above re: the building to the left. There is a large farm area in the center of the layout, which includes chicken coops and even 3D printed chickens that I made myself. So, (as with the engine shed) I'm trying to avoid too much repetition. See photo below. I've done some fencing on the layout, but totally agree that it needs a lot more. Thans you. Using the plot for old farm machinery, old vehicles and/or caravans really appeals, and that would give me some 'weathering' work to do. I think that may be my first option. @wasabi But then again....the stone circle is a great idea, not least because I am literally surrounded with stone circles, and standing stones where I (now) live in South Kerry. This would seem like the obvious choice, in order to reflect my actual locality. Now, I'm VERY confused. :)
  4. I'm looking for some suggestions on how to improve this triangle of my layout (55 x 45 x 25 cm). If I took the 'fencing' away in the middle, what could replace it and fill the space more appealingly? Thanks for any suggestions. Stephen
  5. Thanks again for your help. I was racking my brains today wondering about the best way to clean them. I've actually got two fibreglass pens somewhere. I'll dig them out tomorrow. I did wonder whether I should clean the Hornby clips. Thanks for confirming that.
  6. I've worked it out, finally. The inner (far) switch rail needs to be pushed right up against the inner main rail, somewhere in the middle of the switch rail, in order for it to make contact. I'm not sure why that is, and it's a bit of a pain, as use that point a lot. I seem to need to push it with my finger every time I change the point and need to put it back. Any thoughts on fixing it are welcome.
  7. I think I've narrowed the problem with my A4 (Mallard) cutting out as mentioned. It seems to be going dead when it goes over this diamond crossing (on the plastic area). All thoughts are welcome.
  8. Is that possible, if the switch only goes on when it's set either to one side of the centre or the other?
  9. Thanks for that! A basic follow up question, please (electronics is definitely not my 'thing' and my brain hurts even thinking about it).... On a 6-pin DPDT switch, would it work putting all the red wires (of 3 pairs of connections) on one side, and the corresponding black wires on the opposite pins? Sounds a bit too simple, but I hope it's right! :)
  10. Neophyte wiring question! I have a bus wired DCC layout that I'm currently controlling with a Hornby Select DCC controller. Connection is very straightforward, as I just put the red and black (tinned) wires at the end of the bus wiring, into the Select. I can then put 2 red/black wires from my programming track into the Select when needed. The Bachmann EZ Command seems to have a single-ended plug that goes to a track fitting. I assume I can take this off and bare the wires, and then wind them around the red/black bus wiring? Is that correct? Also, is there a simple way to connect the controller to the bus wire to make it easy to swap the layout wiring for the programming track wiring? Thanks for any help.
  11. The layout is 8 x 4ft and I'm using the Hornby Select decoder, although I think it's getting a bit worn out after 1 year's use. I'm looking for a not-very-expensive upgrade.
  12. Thanks again @amdaley (Tony). I put it on the programming track and it worked, at the original cv address. This made me think that the issue was with the track, but not the whole layout, as locos were working on other lines. I've narrowed the problem down to one of two sets of points, which are next to each other on a straight line. I'm 90% sure that one of them is not creating a circuit, some of the time. At the moment, it's working, and I'll give them both a good clean tomorrow. Thanks for your input.
  13. Hi Tony Thanks for the reply. I do have a programming track, but I haven't tried the loco on it, yet. By 'read', do you just mean see if the address appears in the controller - or is there another test I should try?
  14. When I last ran my R3395 Mallard, about 2 weeks ago, it ran fine at all speeds, with sound and no issues at all. Today, it ran for about 3 minutes, juddered on some points (that may have been set the wrong way - but not certain) and lost power. It got sound back once or twice, but didn't run at all after that, and now it's quite 'dead'. The connecting wires between loco and tender all seem to be intact. Does anyone know what might be happening? Hope you're all doing well - and Happy Christmas from the west of Ireland! Stephen
  15. @markw and @MikeParkin65 Thanks very much for your replies. That slide-bar, has literally just been fixed and came back from the dealer on Friday. So, I hope that's not an issue. I have just seen 2 wires hanging loose from the orange connection box. I assume, that's the reason for no power. I have no idea how they came off - and certainly no idea at all about how to put them back. I think that loco is going to become a quite expensive ornament on the layout!
  16. Very helpful, thank you. Which peco's did you opt for - the PL-12's or the +SE's?
  17. My Bachmann Ivatt 2MT (with a sound decoder) is just back (yesterday) from the repairer, who fixed a problem with the wheel linkages coming loose. It ran quite smoothly, but not perfectly, for an hour so, and then seemed to have problems connecting to the track. I managed to get sound from it, by holding it down and/or moving it back and forth. But, now it's causing the EO (overload) error on my Hornby select controller, on a fully bus-wired DCC layout. The error won't clear while the loco is on the track, but, once removed, it will clear and then 'shorts' again when the Ivatt is re-railed. Can anyone suggest what might be going on? The photo shows the pickups, which seem to be in the right places. Thanks, Stephen
  18. Fair points, thank you @ITG. I was thinking that with 4 only, it may not be too difficult. My (very rudimentary, and possibly erroneous) understanding, so far, is that the Hornby controller (or maybe the accessories controller) starts the points addresses at 61 - I think!!
  19. Thanks for the videos, I've had a look and I'm definitely tempted by the 'sniffer' set up and the fancy control box. Although you (I assume that's you in the video) explained the set-up to the complete stranger asking you totally random questions, very well; I'll still need another 10 views and bit of additional research before it makes any real sense to me. :)
  20. (Copied from my post above) What I'd like to do is work the points via the controller (even if I need to buy the Elite) from the controller position. I think I'd like to go the way of using an accessory decoder, as I'm not so practical and it seems (maybe only seems) like less of an installation hassle. I don't want to use a computer program to drive the trains, mainly because my laptop died and my PC (with a 32" monitor) is not in the train room. So, I'm now thinking that controlling the points via an accessory decoder is the way to go. I just don't yet know how to get there.
  21. Thanks again Robin, that's very practical advice to get me started. :)
  22. I have no doubt that it can be useful to learn the ins-and-outs of how stuff works and lots of abbreviations and jargon to go with it. After all, I spent 30 years in a profession where people would die if 'Haloperidol I.M. Stat' was confused for 'Haloperidol I.V. TDS' (for example). But, at this stage of my semi-retired life, I really just need to use 'free floating attention' (more jargon) to bypass the technical minutiae and get the job sorted. What I'd like to do is work the points via the controller (even if I need to buy the Elite) from the controller position. I considered manual points but this failed for two reasons: 1) I ordered some from a guy in the US and they never arrived and 2) By the time I walk around the layout and change the points, it's often too late!
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